Some More Drabble
by corikane
Summary: More Pitch Perfect-drabbles as you can find them on my tumblr - cardenio.. Still loads of Bechloe, a little Mitchsen, maybe a little Chaubrey... but don't hold your breath for Jeca - I don't deal in heteronormative canons. No copyright infringement intended.
1. Looking Into You

"Do you ever just stare out the window - the one in your room, the view as familiar to you as your own face in the mirror… just stare, wondering at the outside, the inside… it changes while you look at it, the tree in the backyard sheds leaves, your dad may mow the lawn… but still it's the same because of the tree and the grass they're all still there, just like they were when you were 8 or 12 or 5…"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm not going anywhere with it. I just… I'm nostalgic and… I want you to know me that way, even when I'm old and gray, I want you to look at me, into my eyes and see the person you used to sing with in the shower, the girl who would not let you get away with being on your own all the time, the woman you fell in love with… after some time."

"That's already happening, you know?… Is that a gray hair?"

"What?! No!"

But Chloe laughed, pushing Beca back on the bed, tickling her, then just touching and kissing her - like she would still do 50 years later, as they became as familiar to each other as their childhood's backyards.


	2. Of Friends and Fools

"Are you all right?" Chloe asked pushing some hair back behind Beca's ear. The brunette nodded but pulled back a little, pushing with both hands at any stray hair that might still hang around her face. "Listen, I didn't mean to freak you out, B. I just… I…" She trailed off, not even sure what had happened, what had made her cross the line with her best friend. "I guess I should go."

"No," Beca said and reached out for Chloe's hand. She didn't take it, didn't hold onto it like she might have if things hadn't happened before. She touched the other woman's hand briefly then took her hand away again. It was enough to make Chloe settle back down, though. "Let's talk about this. I wanna… know…. or understand… I just don't understand."

"Really? And I thought it was all crystal clear now," Chloe gave back with a smiling grimace and then a frown between her beautiful blue eyes.

"You kissed me."

"Yeah… so…"

"So… does that mean that you're… I don't know… into me? Or…" But there was no 'or.' The look from honest blue eyes wouldn't lie, it told Beca all she needed to know about what Chloe felt for her. "For how long have you… felt this way, Chlo?" Beca asked feeling slightly betrayed but at the same time understanding that these thing were often more difficult for the other person, the one that loved against the odds. She'd been there. Who hadn't?

"I have liked you… pretty much from the beginning," Chloe said and it sounded like a confession. Beca felt for her, she did, she didn't want Chloe to feel bad about having feelings because there was nothing wrong with that… in theory. But what about in practice? What about Chloe kissing her without her having even seen this coming?

"The shower thing?" Beca asked.

"The fair," Chloe corrected and got a surprised look from her friend.

"But I was… an asshole," she said. Chloe grinned, remembering, and shook her head.

"You didn't know us and you thought a cappella was lame… now you know us and know a cappella is awesome… you just needed to come out of your shell."

"And you saw that right away?" Beca asked smiling now.

"I saw a cute freshman who I wanted to get to know. That may sound superficial but… I got a good vibe from you. You looked a little lost and I mean we've all been there." Beca nodded. It made sense. A lot of things made sense in retrospect. How she got to know the Bellas and felt right at home with most of them (not Aubrey). How they had made her feel at home through singing, how she had wanted to built something with them. None of that would have happened without Chloe. She just pulled her in.

And that kiss? What had that kiss been about?

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to… couldn't resist it anymore, really. And I have tried, Beca, I really have tried but…," Chloe looked so guilty and it seemed to Beca that this kind of guilt far outweighed the crime. No, she actually knew that it did because she'd been there, too. She had kissed someone once, a kiss that wasn't appreciated at all. And she had paid the price… too high a price for such a little thing…

"It's okay," she heard herself say.

"Okay? You… I… why okay? I mean you obviously didn't want to kiss me and… our friendship, Beca, it's important to me. I don't want to lose you… as my friend." Chloe sounded panicky but now Beca reached out and this time she took Chloe's hand and held onto it.

"It's okay, Chlo. I mean… I was surprised. I didn't know you… liked me. But I will not make you feel guilty about something… good and nice. A kiss shouldn't be something to be ashamed of. You were trying to show me how you feel about me. And I'm… flattered."

"But you don't feel the same way," Chloe stated.

Beca didn't answer, she looked at Chloe and didn't know what she should say. Should she tell her friend how she sometimes looked at her lips when she talked? How she had admired some of her assets from afar, stolen peeks at others? How she enjoyed every touch that occured between them, sometimes even going so far as to initiate them (when she wasn't the person to do that at all)?

The truth was… Beca had been surprised by the kiss. She hadn't known that Chloe was into her. She was so surprised, she had pulled back. And now she felt like the biggest fool because she couldn't just say: I wish you would kiss me again.


	3. Fighting Desires

They were all exhausted after the nationals, it had been a tough two weeks in which they had rehearsed every day for hours. Yes, it had been more fun than before but still exhausting, and now that they had won the pressure was off and it left them all with little energy to finish the school year. That's how Chloe had come up with the idea of renting a cabin in the woods for a couple of days to just relax - and she had talked her parents into paying for the whole trip, too.

That was just like the redhead. She saw the problem, she solved the problem - by any means necessary. And that's why they were all in a cabin in the woods, big enough to house 10 Bellas to reload their batteries, getting to know each other better, spending time doing nothing or just fun stuff.

Beca felt a little bit overwhelmed with all the group-time, and the attention everyone was paying her because she was the new captain. She had always spent more time alone than with other people, so she sometimes just left the cabin when everybody was too busy to notice and sneaked off, taking walks or just sitting outside, breathing, thinking.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had noticed her leaving, though, and when she did this on their last night at the cabin while everybody was drinking and having a good time, that someone followed her outside. Beca sat on the old swing on the front porch, a cup of some alcoholic concoction in her hands. She was looking up at the stars when Chloe joined her.

"Hey," the redhead greeted.

"Hey," Beca answered. She didn't sound very enthusiastic about having company but that was rarely something to deter Chloe. She went to the front porch railing and looked at the sky for a moment before turning and looking at her friend.

"Can I have a sip?" she asked, pointing at Beca's cup. It made the Bellas captain smile a little, the way the redhead was just herself, uncomplicated on the surface but still very attuned to the feelings of the people around her. Beca reached out and Chloe took the cup from her outstretched hand. "Thanks, I forgot mine inside." Beca nodded.

For a while, neither said anything. They just sat, looking at each other, at the sky, drinking from Beca's cup in turns. It was a quiet night outside, inside the Bellas were raging, or partying - whichever description fit better.

Chloe sat down next to Beca on the swing, facing her instead of the front like Beca did. She took one of Beca's hands in hers.

"Are you okay?" she asked after a short moment. Beca looked at her friend.

Was she? Was she okay? Was she just okay? Were things better or worse than they had been before? Before she came to Barden? Before she became a Bella? Or wasn't Chloe even referring to big schemes, just the now and then?

"I'm good, a little warm with the fire inside, you know?" Chloe nodded. Amy had insisted on lighting the fireplace since it was their last night - but it was altogether too warm especially with the drinking and all.

"It wasn't lit the last couple days when you came out here, though," the redhead said. Beca had already been aware of the fact that Chloe wasn't just here to make idle conversation. She wanted to talk, Beca wasn't sure she was ready for it, though.

"I just needed some space."

"You've been avoiding me," Chloe came to the point she had wanted to make, the point that had lingered between them as they had looked at each other. Because there was always something more between them that wasn't being talked about. But they could still feel it, lingering. Like Chloe had wanted Beca to join the Bellas when they had met at the activities fair, she didn't even really care whether the brunette could sing or not (they'd always had non-singers in the background just moving their lips and looking good - the old Bellas).

"I just… needed some space," Beca repeated. Chloe exhaled exasperately, seemingly at the end of her patience. She took Beca's cup from her hand and drank the remaining beverage down, grimacing at the alcoholic taste of the last sip.

"It's hardly about space, is it? I mean… this… thing that's between us is happening whether we're standing next to each other or across the whole room, you know that. It's not gonna go away, Becs. It's…"

"It's not important," Beca lied but since they both knew it was a lie it didn't even really matter anymore. Denial was one thing they had done these last few months, it wasn't like it worked anymore.

"It's… something and it's not going away," Chloe said.

"I can't do this, Chloe. I can't. I have a boyfriend and he's a good guy. I'm not gonna… do this with you," she answered determindly, like talking could make it a reality.

"You can say it, sweety: You're not going to cheat on him with me even though that's what you wanna do. Isn't it?"

Beca pulled her hand out of Chloe's. She would have liked to go further, actually go, inside or away but she couldn't. Chloe's words had hit a nerve, she'd felt them… deeply. The fact that Chloe had actually said it, had described… some sort of action, an action she had fantasized about only in the privacy of her room, not even confessing to herself who it was she was thinking about… but now all these fantasies came back through the mere mention of 'cheating.' It was too crazy, it was too unreal but she could feel it… deeply.

"Beca, talk to me."

"I wanna… want to… be with you bad, Chlo… I'm thinking about it… but I can't do it," she finally said.

"Because it would make you a lesbian?"

"Because it would make me a cheater… like my dad. I'm not gonna do that to anyone ever… I can't." They sat for a long moment, quietly. After a little while, Chloe took Beca's hand in hers again, just touching her, messaging her hand, then her fingers. It wasn't innocent, they just pretended that it was because it was the only touch they could allow themselves. One that at least would seem innocent if one of their friends caught them out here now.

"This is gonna drive us both nuts until we do something about it, Beca. You know that… and just for the record, I want it, too. I'm thinking about you, too. So…"

"So….?" Beca asked and she really wanted to know. She wanted to know her options, choices. Because she had thought about them, too, and she hadn't come up with a solution. Maybe Chloe had.

"So, we either just… do it. Whether consciously planning it or just waiting until it runs us over like a bus. Or… you gonna break up with Jesse and give us a chance… which is the only choice if you don't wanna cheat on him, you know? Because, Beca… this is gonna happen," Chloe said as their fingers slipped through each other, touching, carressing, making them breathe heavier than an innocent touch should have.

"But not tonight," Beca said.

"No, not tonight," Chloe agreed. Her hand left Beca's hanging in the air as she stood. She looked at the freshman for a moment. "But maybe tomorrow." And then she went back inside.


	4. Drunken Confessions

Beca laid her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"Hey, Chloe," she said in a dreamy voice.

"Hm-mh?"

"I'm really drunk," she confessed and they both started giggling. In truth, Chloe was just as drunk as Beca was, maybe even more so - she felt she had a reason to.

"Are you feeling all right, though?" the redhead asked and her friend nodded.

"I feel wonderful. We should do this more often," Beca answered.

"Getting toasted at a party? We could probably have that every day of the week, honey. We're in college," Chloe informed her and they giggled some more.

"Yeah… I mean, no…. I mean, not getting drunk or partying. Just… you know… sitting like this. I like sitting with you," this completely cracked them up once more and Beca leaned into Chloe a little more and the redhead gave back just as good until they were starting to tickle each other… or maybe they were merely disguising their touches as such.

"You're bad, Becs, really bad," Chloe giggled.

"I know but you love it, don't you? You love me?" Chloe stiffened so suddenly yet so completely that Beca, even in her inebriated state, couldn't help but notice. She pulled her head from the warm place between them and looked at Chloe who tried to pull away, her eyes swimming in tears and it wasn't from their laughter.

"Chloe…", she started saying but the redhead shook her mane.

"It's okay, I just have to…" 'get away from you," didn't seem like a sensible thing to say but nothing else would come to her. She wanted to get up but Beca caught her hands and pulled her back down.

"Don't go," she pleaded. She pulled Chloe close again, as close as they'd been when Beca had said what she'd said. And she had said it not quite as uncalculating as Chloe might have thought. "I have to tell you something."

"Beca," Chloe pleaded quietly but Beca didn't let go of her, she lay her forehead against Chloe's.

"Because I love you, too, you know? And I can't… I'm too much of a chicken to tell you while sober… but I do," she came clean with what she had wanted to tell Chloe since she'd broken up with Jesse.

"You… what?"

"I love you. I can't think of anything anymore… you're always in my head."

"But…," Chloe wanted to protest while her heart already soared in her chest. Could this be?

"No buts just kiss me, Beale," Beca demanded already leaning in and capturing Chloe's lips. The redhead answered her questing attempt at a kiss, assuring that this was indeed what she wanted, too.


	5. All About Chloe

All About Chloe

by Kane

"Fuck you, Aubrey. I'm not taking any of that shit anymore. No… no… I'm so done with this," Beca talked over whatever Aubrey wanted to say, she was done with the captain's bullshit. "You are a controling bitch, everybody thinks so. We're just too nice to tell you to your face but not anymore. I'm done. Done."

"So you're leaving? Well, that is no surprise, that's exactly how I figured this experiment of yours would end. With you leaving. You're a quitter, Beca Mitchell." Beca had already turned but stopped at Aubrey's words. She closed her eyes.

"You know nothing about me, Posen," she said in a subdued voice.

"I know that you were never in for the long run. I told Chloe but she wouldn't listen," Aubrey had heard her, of course.

"Leave Chloe out of this," Beca warned.

"Why? Because you actually care about her? It's her you're disappointing, Beca, not me. I saw you for what you were, a poser, a quitter. You're not exactly news to me," Aubrey gloated and Beca knew it. But was she really in the position to prove Aubrey wrong? After all, this had been her dad's idea entirely. She wouldn't even be here without him, his insistance that she 'put herself out there,' 'experience' college life. And she had wanted out and now Aubrey gave her exactly what she wanted. Why wasn't she leaving already?

"You don't know me, Aubrey," she repeated but stood where she was, thinking feverishly about a way out or in or a compromise they could both live with. But she knew too well that there was no such compromise. Aubrey wanted her out, she wanted out… but for Chloe… Chloe!

"I know your type. You're just passing through. And that's okay… that's how you roll and I respect that. But don't expect Chloe to forgive you. She invested in you, she will take it hard," Aubrey mused and Beca had an inkling that it gave her some pleasure to torture Beca in this fashion.

"She'll get over it," the brunette said more to herself than the Bellas captain.

"Eventually," Aubrey answered.

Beca closed her eyes, thinking of the vivacious redhead, the way she was, the way she invaded everbody's personal space like it was nothing. Damn, she had just walked into Beca's shower because she had heard her sing? What was a person like that capable of when she really liked you? When she maybe… wanted you? Beca had wondered about this. Sure, it was all hypothetical, and not really something to put one's mind to, just a way to pass the time, not something she wanted for herself… or did she?

Beca teared up. She didn't want to disappoint Chloe, she didn't want to hurt her in any way. She wanted….

"It's okay, she's going to be fine. She has friends, Beca. You should go," Aubrey told her but there was an undertow, something that made Beca do exactly the opposite of what Aubrey told her to do because… she had come into the group to aggrevate Aubrey and why stop when it was the most fun?

"I'm staying," she heard herself say.

"That's not necessary," Aubrey assured her.

"No, but I'll do it anyway," Beca answered and now turned to her captain. "From the top, then?" she asked and Aubrey made a not very pleasant face.

"Whatever," the blonde mumbled and turned as well. They took their former positions, ready to rehearse the choreo all over again, accompanied only by their own singing.

Aubrey later wondered what it was that she had said that had made Beca stay? At first, she wondered because she didn't want to make the same mistake again, then she simply wondered and later, much later it seemed, she wondered because it had turned out to have been just the right thing to make Beca Mitchell stay with the Bellas.


	6. Words Unspoken

"This is not what I wanted to say, Beca. I'm… sorry," Chloe seemed flustered, probably for the first time that Beca knew her. She rubbed her hands on her jeans as if that was something that needed to be done. Did she have sweaty palms, like Beca herself at this moment realized she had?

Chloe looked at her, her eyes lingering on her face like a gentle carress.

"I… didn't wanna… I mean, it's not like it's not true, you know, just… I didn't wanna talk about that. That's Aubrey, and it… it doesn't matter… I mean, it does but…," she broke off. Beca knew how difficult it was to say things that mattered. She had struggled with the task most of her life, to not say what was important but still give a hint of it. She and her mother had an honest relationship but everyone else seemed to expect her to conceal certain truths - the way the world rolled.

"It's okay, Chloe. I think I understand," she said to calm her friend down but Chloe just shook her head, unable to just acknowledge this gift Beca was trying to give her, she needed to say something, desperately.

"No, you don't. I mean, how could you? You've probably been thinking what kind of lunatic I was from the start… I shouldn't have walked into your shower, what kind of person does that? But I didn't know back then, you see… I didn't know…" again she just broke off, though Beca wasn't about to interrupt her in any way. Chloe looked at Beca, at her face. There was a sort of dreamy expression on her face, that was how Beca would have described it anyway. "You're lovely, you know that?" Beca blushed at the compliment but it seemed to tell another story to Chloe.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you," the redhead apologized immediately.

"You didn't. I think you're lovely, too," Beca said in a calm voice that was only belied by the glimmer in her eyes that seemed to convey something beyond. But what? Chloe wondered. Could she know?

"You're so… lovely," Chloe repeated, unable to form a different thought in her head, because Beca was lovely and she herself, enchanted. "I like you.. probably more than I should," the ginger confessed.

"Impossible," Beca said.

"Im…," it seemed Chloe caught on at that moment. Caught on that Beca knew exactly what she was saying, confessing. That there was more to their friendship than singing together and hoping that their voices could convey those emotions that roiled inside each of them.

Chloe took a step closer to Beca, touched her face, carressed her cheeks, tangled her hand in the soft brown strands of Beca's hair. "So beautiful," she murmured. Beca smiled.

"As are you," she said and Chloe couldn't even comprehend where Beca took that self-assurance from.

"You know?"

"Yeah, it was kind of obvious," Beca told the redhead.

"I thought I was being sly," Chloe said. Beca laughed.

"No," she said. "Obvious." Chloe chuckled.

"I could stare at you forever," she confessed.

"I'd rather you kissed me, actually."

"Hmmm," Chloe made and obeyed Beca's wish - for quite a while.


	7. Reunion

"Hey, there they are," Cynthia Rose pointed at the door where their former captains had just appeared. Beca turned and a surprised laugh overwhelmed her when she saw Chloe enter with her new short hair cut.

From various corners of the room the Bellas joined Aubrey and Chloe near the door, they were hugged and teased and then Beca stood before her best friend.

"What happened to your hair?" she asked. Chloe fluffed her short locks.

"I'm a business woman now. I have to look all mature and stuff," she grinned.

"You look amazing," Beca told her and the redhead laughed. Then they hugged and for a moment all the other Bellas simply looked at the two of them reuniting. They had all seen Beca getting fidgety over the last few days, running routines they had down just because she couldn't concentrate on anything new and they were glad that torture was now over. As Beca pulled out of the embrace again, though, they all occupied their eyes elsewhere, trying not to smile at how decidedly nervous Beca was to see Chloe again.

"I need a drink, who's buying?" came from Aubrey and Amy lifted her hand.

"First round on me, after that you're on your own, princess," she told her former captain and Aubrey lay and arm across her friend's shoulders.

"Fair enough," Aubrey agreed and was about to walk off with Amy and the rest when she noticed that Chloe wasn't coming. "Chlo, you not thirsty?" She asked turning toward her friend.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up with you," the redhead promised.

"Well, I'll be at the bar for a while so good luck with the up-catching part," Aubrey quipped and then winked at Chloe and Beca. The Bellas captain frowned at the blonde's good mood.

"Who's that woman and what she's done to Aubrey Posen?" She asked Chloe who laughed.

"That is Aubrey, believe me. She's… well, some things have changed in her life. She's a lot more relaxed now. You know, last month, she send her dad packing when he showed up at her apartment unannounced and caught her with her… wait for it… new girlfriend."

"You're kidding, right?" Beca stared wide-eyed at this story.

"Not kidding. She called me afterwards, in panic, and it took me over an hour to talk her down. But she's talked to her parents since and now she's out and loud and proud… she's just… this incredibly crazy chick who enjoys her life. And I'm happy for her," Chloe said and smiled. But it seemed a little bittersweet to Beca who knew her well enough to look behind any Aubrey-is-happy-story to see that Chloe was not.

"So, what is new in your life?" Beca asked but tried to kep it nonchalant.

"Oh, I love this song, let's dance. Come on," and Chloe took Beca's hand, pulling her to the impromptu dancefloor of the fraternity house they were at and put her arms around Beca. The brunette was surprised but not too surprised to not match Chloe's dance moves. "Hmmm. somebody upped their moves while I was away. Who's been teaching you those, Mitchell?" Chloe practically purred into Beca's ear and the Bellas captain flushed instantly. Luckily, they were too close to even look at each other and Chloe couldn't see the heightened color in Beca's face.

"CR has taken over the choreo, she's… teaching all of us," she got out while Chloe pulled her closer still.

Beca had imagined this moment a thousand times, not this grinding at each other exactly but the moment they were seeing each other for the first time after Chloe had graduated. And in none of her fantasies had it been even close to this. It overwhelmed her in its intensity. She didn't want to just be physically close to Chloe, to dance, to hug, to even get so close to kissing. That was what had her go almost crazy the year before. She'd had such a hard time to work through all of this attraction business, who she liked, why she liked them and why it didn't work with Jesse. She knew she liked Chloe and she wanted the redhead to know that… but this was the wrong way altogether. And it made Beca panic for just a second and push Chloe away a little too aggressively.

"Whoa, there, little lady," one of the frats said as Chloe bumped into him but the former Bella paid him no mind, she just looked at Beca, confused.

"I'm so sorry, Chlo, I… I'm sorry," Beca said and left the dancefloor. She felt like a fool, an idiot. Chloe must think she was a total spaz or worse, some kind of freak. She was shaking her head when she felt a hand grasping hers. She wanted to pull away but that hand was stronger and it was familiar. Chloe had caught up with her and was trying to talk to her.

"Beca? What is going on?"

Beca turned but didn't look at Chloe. She looked down at their linked hands then at the crowd around them.

"Talk to me, B," Chloe begged and the smaller woman nodded.

"Not here," she agreed and they went outside, through the ruckus of a lively party. The cool air hit Beca as soon as she opened the door. It had been raining for days but had stopped that same afternoon. Still, none of the partying crowd had chosen the front porch for dwelling, it was empty. Beca sat down on the front steps and Chloe joined her.

"It's cold," Chloe commented. "You good without a jacket?"

"Yeah, it was too warm inside anyways."

"I'd say," Chloe tried to tease but Beca didn't smile like she usually would, she stared out into the quiet neighborhood. "What's going on, Becs? Did I do something wrong?" Beca shook her head.

"It's not your fault. It's me, I'm an idiot."

"If you were you would be in good company. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in there. I just… I missed you," Chloe said.

"I missed you, too," Beca answered and let Chloe take one of her hands in hers. They sat for a while.

"So, tell me about your life, Chlo. What's happening?"

"Nothing much. The job is great, challenging. The people are nice." Beca laughed.

"That's probably because nobody can resist you, red," she told Chloe who rolled her eyes. "What about… your personal life? You dating?" Beca asked, not even sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"No, I'm not dating," Chloe answered without hesitation.

"You're not even trying?" Beca looked at her friend surprised. How would anyone not want to date Chloe? What was wrong with people in Richmond?

"Aubrey has tried to set me up a couple of times but…" Chloe shook her head.

"But?"

"Nothing, I'm just not in the mood to invest time…," Chloe stopped, smiled self-deprecatingly and then said: "Not when I'm hooked on somebody."

If everything that had happened already tonight had overwhelmed Beca, this news simply drowned her. She felt dizzy, nauseous… her eyes flooding with tears. But she was still conscious enough to not let them fall.

"That's…," Beca's voice sounded weak as she stared into the dark of the neighboring yards. "I didn't even know," she tried again, her voice now too shrill in her own ears. She felt Chloe's eyes on her and she tried to smile, it became a grimace.

"I thought you did," the redhead said, her voice very soft.

"No, you never said anything."

"I thought it was one of those things friends know without words. I didn't want it to get awkward, you were with Jesse then." The last sentence confused Beca. Why would Chloe crushing on someone be awkward, what did her own relationship with Jesse have to do with it? Beca looked up at her friend.

"You don't know?" Chloe asked.

"Know?"

"Oh, Beca," the redhead smiled as if at someone who failed to understand the punchline to a joke - a good one. She lifted her hand and pushed some of the other woman's hair back. Then she carressed her face, smiling now in a dreamy fashion. "It's you."

Beca tried to follow the conversation, she really did but the words Chloe was saying threw her into an emotional rollercoater she had not been prepared for. She had known that it would be… challenging to see Chloe again, that she would have to be careful not to reveal her feelings - she had been so sure her feelings would be unwelcome, Chloe was way out of her league. And now… did Chloe actually say that she liked Beca? Or was she misunderstanding things once again? Damn, this shit was far too complicated! How did any two people ever get together with all these… feelings that left your body sweating and pulsing and your brain turning to mush.

"Beca?" Chloe roused the younger woman out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Do you… are you okay?" Beca shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you, I…"

"No, I… just to be clear about this, okay… you like me? Like 'like like'?" She felt like an idiot once again but she had to know that she had understood this. She didn't want any more misunderstandings.

Chloe smiled.

"I like like like you a lot, more than a friend. I keep thinking about kissing you… and then some. And I'm sorry if that is… awkward or totally inappropriate… I just… I think you should know. I'm not very sensitive to boundaries as you know and I think I might… break through some of yours that you don't want me to break… I just… I can't help myself with you," she finished her little speech and smiled apologetically.

A convulsive laugh worked itself free of Beca and Chloe raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Whatever you want to do, Chlo… really, just break away," she told her friend.

"Does that mean…?"

"That I like like like you a lot, too," Beca finished the sentence and they both smiled at their continued sillyness. "Kiss me?" Beca finally asked and Chloe answered by simply leaning in and pressing her lips to Beca's.

All reserve broke from them, emotions running amok through their bloodstreams and hands and lips helping along. They ended up breathless, leaning their foreheads together.

"I figured you would be an amazing kisser," Beca said and touched her index finger to Chloe's lips. The redhead played with it some before asking:

"How did you figure?"

"By the way you form words when you say them, or sing them. The way your mouth wraps around them. I think I've spent hours just stating at your lips," she smiled and Chloe chuckled.

"Nice," she said and kissed Beca some more. They lingered, there was no rush right now, only the slow burning desire of getting to know each other better. But it didn't warm the younger woman quite as well as she would have wished in order to stay outside with the redhead.

"Are you cold?" Chloe asked when she noticed the slight shiver in the brunette.

"A little."

"Let's go inside then, get a drink," Chloe suggested and then stood. She took Beca's hand with her and pulled her up.

"I think I'd rather dance some more," Beca said and wiggled her eyebrows. They laughed.

"That can definately be arranged," Chloe agreed and pulled Beca after her, never letting go of her hand.


	8. (Sober) Kisses

**A/N: I just wanted to say - thanks so much for all those lovely reviews. Your appreciation gets me going. You're all amazing.**

* * *

Beca was sitting in the bleachers of their rehearsal room, seemingly engrossed in what she was doing. Chloe, however, could tell that it was a ruse, the brunette was about as interested in mixing songs right now as she was in becoming a dedicated student of Barden University.

"Hey," the redhead greeted as she sat down in the chair next to her friend. She didn't get an answer but she had already expected that this conversation would be difficult so she wasn't surprised. "You didn't wake me," she said after awhile.

Beca closed her eyes, turning her head further away from her friend. When she opened them again, Chloe was still there, still looking at her. Beca closed the program on her computer and shortly after her laptop, too.

"I'm sorry," she said. She sounded sincere and Chloe knew that she wasn't simply apologizing for not having woken the redhead when she'd left earlier.

"For?"

Beca sighed, was Chloe deliberately trying to make this hard for both of them. They had made a mistake, they had been drunk. What else was there to say?

"For getting all hammered on you yesterday, for being needy and… for putting you in the impossible position of saying no," Beca answered.

"You think this is what this was all about?" Chloe asked and she didn't sound very happy with Beca's apology.

"What else would it have been about? You were just being nice and… well, quite toasted yourself, I guess."

"I'm not saying I wasn't drunk but it wasn't a pity-fuck, okay?!" Chloe stood, she would have liked to make a dramatic exit but that wouldn't solve anything at this moment. She looked down at Beca and breathed deeply. Then she sat back down. She kept quiet for a while, thinking. "You're my best friend, Beca. You and Aubrey. I've known Aubrey for three years now and she's been in bad moods - can you imagine how wasted she got after that finals disaster last year? But I didn't sleep with her. We… are not into each other like that," she added quietly.

Beca turned to Chloe, looking at her intently.

"Is that what you think this is about? Me secretely wanting you?" She asked. Her voice didn't necessarily sound shocked or disgusted but it wasn't far from it either. Chloe shut her eyes for a moment.

"Maybe it was more about me being secretely into you and… taking advantage of you," she said even quieter than before. Her body seemed to sag into the cushions of her seat, Beca had never seen the self-assured Bella so… small.

"No," she said. "You didn't do that."

"You seem awefully sure about that," Chloe scoffed.

"Because I know you and the last thing you would do is take adventage of anyone, least of all me. So cut the crap, Beale."

Again they fell quiet, a heavy silence falling between them. Chloe looked over at Beca, she had tears in her eyes but wasn't sure she should say more. There were more reasons why what had happned the night before had happened. They both knew it but she wasn't sure Beca was ready to put words to the knowledge.

"What you said yesterday," she said.

"I said a lot of things," Beca countered evasively.

"And you didn't mean any of them?"

"I did… some. I don't even know what I said anymore, okay?" But Chloe shook her head.

"No, it's not okay. You said…"

"It doesn't matter," Beca interrupted Chloe.

"You said that you had imagined kissing me… more than just kissing me. Was that a lie?" Chloe kept on, looking at Beca, feeling that connection they had had the night before building again. It was there, she hadn't imagined that. But Beca kept her jaw clenched, and Chloe was sure she wasn't going to answer her. She was wrong.

"I don't lie, Chloe. Not to you," she said after a long moment. Chloe smiled a small smile. She so wanted to touch Beca right now, push her hair from her face, the curtain she was hiding her face behind from Chloe. But she dared not unless she'd spook the other woman.

"And I didn't lie either," she said. Beca thought about all the things they had talked about the night before - it didn't matter how much she drank, she'd never had the blessing of blackouts. So much had been said once they'd gotten over the initial whining about Beca's break-up with Jesse.

"You…?" Beca tried.

"Yes, from the very beginning," Chloe answered the unuttered question.

Beca turned her head back to Chloe, her eyes shining with tears.

"Last night… was pretty aweful," she said, her tears spilling. Chloe grinned.

"I had better," she agreed. "But it was still us, Beca, not just a drunken tumble that happens. I wanted you and… you…"

"I wanted you," Beca interrupted again. She tried a small smile and Chloe nodded. "I still do," the brunette confessed and was rewarded with an even bigger, even warmer smile. It lit up Chloe's face and it made Beca feel warm and fuzzy, too.

"Then maybe we should go back to my place and… try again, sober this time."

"Was it really that bad?" Beca asked self-consciously.

"Alcohol doesn't exactly enhance any kind of perfromance but… it wasn't the worst ever so I guess… we'll be all right," she smiled what she hoped was reassuringly.

"I want it to be… good and… special, I guess," Beca said and Chloe nodded. She now pushed Beca's hair back, cupping her cheek.

"It was already special, Beca, because it was with you. Touching you…," but there really were no words to tell the brunette how that had made her feel. So she put it in a kiss, a long one, an intense one - a special one. The first of many (sober) kisses.


	9. Secrets Told Under Blankets

"Why're you sad, little Beca?" Chloe whispered into the younger woman's ear. The DJ had been out of tune in more ways than one all day and had only agreed to come back to Chloe and Aubrey's place because the redhead had insisted. Now they sat on Chloe's bed, listened to music but still Beca just stared melancholy holes into the wallpaper.

She tried to smile at her friend for the endearment but the corners of her mouth merely twitched once. She couldn't bring them to lift.

"I don't know," she answered her friend.

"Lie down," Chloe told her and pushed Beca onto her side. The younger woman didn't resist Chloe who simply lay next to her, facing her and then pulled a blanket over both their bodies. This finally made Beca smile just a little.

"Sometimes you're like five years old, Chlo. You realize that, right?" she chided good-naturedly.

"Life is too short to always be an adult," Chloe answered and smiled at her friend. She reached out and took Beca's hand in hers. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right?"

Beca nodded but she also shifted her eyes so as not to look into Chloe's baby blues anymore.

"Hey, what is this? I thought we were being five year-olds who don't lie to each other. What is going on with you?" Chloe called her out instantly and the brunette would have liked to just get up and get out and not having to deal with all of this. It made her hurt to… be close to Chloe and yet… to have this secret.

"Nothing's going on. I just…" Beca rolled onto her back mostly so she didn't have to look at her beautiful friend anymore.

"Okay, enough of this," Chloe said and there was no playfulness left in her. She rolled on top of Beca and the brunette was left with the surprise, the shock, the instant reaction of her own body. It overwhelmed her and she tried to throw Chloe off.

"Calm down, B, I'm not gonna hurt you. Just… look at me," Chloe tried to calm her friend. Beca did calm a little, she at least stopped fighting. Her body, however, was anything but calm, her heart hammered wildly in her chest, her whole body felt warm and kind of itchy… and other things she didn't even want to ackowledge. "You gonna talk to me?" Chloe asked earnestly and Beca nodded her head, it was really the only thing she could do.

Chloe rolled off her, pulled Beca on her side again and closer, incredibly, enticingly close.

"Then talk," Chloe said after a minute of silence.

"Can't I just be sad?" Beca asked.

"Is this like a depression thing? I mean I know that's… bad. My brother had that, 'chronic depression.' He still takes meds for that but I remember when I was just a kid and he was a teen… it was bad. He tried to kill himself," Chloe whispered and Beca felt bad because that was not how it was. She was just sad because…

"It's not like that. I'm sorry about your brother, that must have been aweful and you telling me… God, that takes courage, Chlo, and I… I'm such a fake." Beca was close to tears now and Chloe held her hand tighter.

"You're not a fake because you don't have depression. I just… I wouldn't want to see you… spiral out of my reach, okay?" Beca nodded. "Why're you sad?"

"I… I've got feelings… for someone," Beca whispered as if the mere fact was shameful. In a way it was, at least to her who never had had these kind of feelings for anyone yet. And certainly never for… a woman.

"Why does that make you sad? It's supposed to be a good thing," Chloe said but even she didn't sound cheerful about this.

"It's not someone I should be having these feelings for. I don't know what to do with them, I don't know…." Beca felt panic rise in her once again, and tears accompanied this feeling. Chloe pulled her closer, into a full body hug under the blanket. Beca merely fell into that hug, held onto Chloe like a lifeline and yet felt that this was not a good idea. what if her body betrayed her once again? Already her heart started beating way too fast.

Yet Chloe held her, stroked her hair, whispered soothing words into her ear, words that very slowly trickled down into Beca's understanding.

"Shhh… it's okay… it's not easy, I know… and who's to say who you should love… people don't know…. feelings are good… no matter who they're for… you gotta believe that, B…"

"You don't understand," Beca whispered back, urgently. Chloe tried to look at her then but Beca held her close, she couldn't look at her friend as she said this: "It's a girl, Chlo, it's a woman. It's… you," she finally confessed.

For a second, Chloe's body stiffened, then it relaxed but not completely. Beca could feel her pulling back until she could look at the brunette. Beca didn't look at her, though, she had her head turned.

"Please look at me, Beca," Chloe said softly.

"You must hate me," Beca answered, still not looking at her friend.

"Bull. I could never hate you, B. I… look at me. I'm not talking to you unless you look at me."

It took Beca a long moment and a truckload of courage to look back at Chloe, into her shining blue eyes. They were soft, and determined, and something Beca had never seen in another pair of eyes aimed at her.

"You are amazing, Beca. I can't even… you're so courageous to tell me… how you feel. I know because… I haven't had that courage to tell you," she said.

Beca frowned.

"What does that mean?" she asked though she hoped she already knew what Chloe tried to tell her. She had to be sure, though.

"I have feelings, too," Chloe said. "And they made me sad, too, because I thought that the person I liked could never like me back. But she does. You do." Chloe smiled.

"I do," Beca said and smiled also, a true smile, a happy smile. "Is there going to be kissing? I've been waiting to be kissed for some time, you know. I'm growing impatient." Chloe laughed.

"Sure, but one thing," the redhead said and Beca looked at her questioningly. "I'm not kissing like a five year-old." They giggled.

"God, I hope not," Beca answered and then their lips met, hastily, sweetly, repeatedly. It was a nice first kiss - but it paled in comparison to those follwing.


	10. The Things You Tell Your Best Friend

"You've been back for two days and you're already hiding out here? C'mon, your mom has finally agreed to watch Brokeback Mountain - you don't wanna miss that, do you?" George stood in the door to the house looking expectantly at his best friend but Beca only looked up at him once from her place on the porch swing and then back to her phone. George took his clue from that and came over to her, sitting down next to her.

"So, are you finally going to tell me who you are so despearte to reach, B?" he asked and put his legs up on the railing thus setting their seat to swinging.

Beca didn't answer, she looked out into the dark of this balmy New England night. George was right, she had been desperate for some communication, he was also right that it had only been two days and maybe she shouldn't expect her to call or text already.

"So, is it the boyfriend?" George asked since he didn't get an answer to his last question.

"The boyfriend?" Beca gave back.

"What's his name, Jesse? Your mom told me about him which confused the heck out of me because you never even mentioned him to me. Now I wonder, should I be offended because you shut me out of the more saucy part of your private life… or should I simply know better," he stressed the last two words slightly and Beca looked at him a little ominously.

"Know better? How do you mean?"

George looked back at his best friend and took a deep breath.

"Know better than to assume that this Jesse-feller actually exists and is not just some cock-and-bull story (the emphasis obviously lying on cock, here) that you told your mother to get her off your back," he answered in the same breath and Beca raised her eyebrow.

"Jesse does exist," she said.

"Which means you've been holding out on me?"

Beca sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said making a sad face and then pushing it into the sleeve of his shirt. "I guess I have been holding out on you but… it doesn't even have anything to do with Jesse, really. I mean, he exists but he's not really…." Instead of continuing Beca sighed again. "It's gotten so fucking complicated," she finally burst out.

"Just tell me what's going on, sweety. You've been cutting yourself off so much since this whole thing with your dad and going to college… I'm still your best friend… if you'll have me," George told her and she could detect the hurt in his words - the hurt of neglect and not even knowing if they were still close. And they had been very close before.

"I've been an aweful friend, George, and i'm sorry. You know I love you. It's just been… even the last summer.. things have been different… for me. And then my dad pestering me and my mom asking me to go to college… I thought she would be on my sight about this… I just lost myself for some time. And you haven't been around much last summer either, what with you and Phil being all wrapped into each other, you know?"

"I already apologized for that, you know that," he reminded her.

"I know and it was really sweet of you, the card-thing for my birthday.. but by then I was already involved in the whole Bellas thing… ," she tried to explain and knew that this wasn't really the issue here.

"But what about the Jesse-thing? Come on, tell me. Is he your boyfriend or not?"

Beca shook her head.

"I asked him for a time-out before I came home," she said. "We were kind of dating after the Nationals but… I gues you could say, I'm screwing this up."

"Deliberately?" George asked with the brutal honesty of a best friend. Beca nodded after a second's thought. "Why?"

"Because there's someone else," Beca confessed quietly.

"And who's he?" George asked, breaking all the things Beca had wanted but hadn't had the courage to talk about down into small questions she could answer. Still, she seemed to have a bigger problem with this one. "Or is it even a 'he'?"

George knew her incredibly well and it brought tears to her eyes that there was someone who knew her so well, was always taking the time to watch her closely and know… sometimes even before she did. Beca laid her head against his shoulder and he put his head on hers.

"Her name is Chloe, she's one of the Bellas. She's amazing," she told him after a short while of silence.

"Which one is she… I saw your whole performance on youtube, remember?"

"Red hair, incredibly blue eyes, killer body," Beca answered smiling mischieveously.

"I'd say," George agreed and they both chuckled a little.

"She into girls?"

Beca nodded.

"But I guess she's not into me," she said, lifting her phone that had nothing to show for Chloe's affection for her - no text, no call… complete radio silence.

"Oh, come on, who could resist you? You're a bad-ass radio DJ with an amazing voice and - not that i'm the best judge - but you got your own killer body there. I bet she's crazy about you," George tried to cheer her up.

"If she were she would have called by know," Beca reasoned.

"Maybe she's waiting for you to call."

Beca didn't answer. It had occured to her but Chloe wasn't really someone who would wait around for other people to call. She was confident and… beyond ceremony. She would call if she were into Beca, the brunette was sure of this.

"Just call her, Beca," George told her.

"But it's so… scary, George. What if…?"

"What if she thought you were in love with Jesse and that she didn't have a chance? Is that at all possible?"

It was, Beca had to admit to herself. She hadn't told Chloe how it was with Jesse, how awkward she felt with him. They hadn't talked about the Treble at all - one might almost say they had steered clear of him in their conversations after the Nationals.

"Call her," he repeated and kissed her on the head. He got off the swing and walked back to the door of her mom's house. "I'm gonna start the movie, now, because I think I earned myself some Jack Gyllenhall after all your lady-drama," he smiled good-naturedly at her. "Join us when you've made that call. Make it quick, though, I'm not sure your mom and I are at the point in our friendship yet where we can watch a gay love scene without it becoming awkward, 'kay?"

"All right," Beca agreed. She took a deep breath and searched for Chloe's number. George watched her as she tapped nervousely on her phone and then finally putting it to her ear.

"Hey," she said after a while. "It's me, Beca," she laughed. "Well, I thought maybe you've forgotten all about me by now…"

George smiled as her friend grinned goofily at what Chloe said on her phone. Then he left her to join Grace infront of the tv - for some much deserved gay love story.


	11. Dear Diary

**A/N: Somebody requested Mitchsen? ;)**

* * *

Dear Diary,

I know that it seems that I only come here to vent - about her! - and that makes me angry. Because I know that when I'm going to pick this up in years to come, I will have to read about her again, and again… but it's simply too much to keep inside. I can't, it's just too frustrating. And if I don't vent here, I might lose it, in a big way… and that's just not an option.

I wish I knew what it is about her that's got me so on edge. No wait, I know: she's insufferable, irritating, and she thinks she knows everything better. But I survived Alice, I will sure as tartarus be able to survive tiny Beca Mitchell. I don't know why Chloe is so.. smitten with her. I mean, her voice is good and we need good voices, her body is… well, it fits the requirements of the old Bellas, albeit Alice would probably not have taken her because she's basically too small… but everything else about her! A disaster!

Her attitude is the worst, without a doubt. She's all superior, like a cappella was somehow an inferior art when it's a lot more difficult than just beating around on some instruments to get the sound… and then she looks at me with those eyes, and even they're infuriating because they don't have the right color. You're expecting them to be brown but they're blue, dark blue. Irritating!

And she's totes into Jesse… I don't know why, it's not like he's cute, he's a Treble and annoying. Of course, she says there's nothing going on there… and maybe it's all on his side, he's totally into her. His eyes are all over her. It makes me so…. MAD… when he's around. Like he's got every right in the world to stare at her, flirt with her. He doesn't even care that other people are around… I guess it's because he's a Treble, all they ever want is to get into your pants… well, if Beca let's him she's out! And we lose another great voice…

Everybody likes her, and she doesn't even have to try. She just says something witty (or what she thinks is witty) or smirk in that way of hers, making fun of whatever i'm saying… and they like her. Well, I guess the common people will always be drawn to rebels… I wish she would put as much energy into the routines as she spends aggravating me. She could be really good… she has instincts, she certainly knows how to move that body of hers… she's got the right assets, too… no wonder, Jesse is so enchanted by her.

I'm not saying… that I find her appealing, that is so not the case. My former indiscretions with women… they were nice, certainly satisfying but that's not who I am. And even if I was, I wouldn't be into her. She's… annoying. When I look at her it's because I wanna make sure she's got the routine right, not like… Jesse or even Chloe… Chloe is totes into her. I can see that. It's okay for her, she's bi. I'm not.

Well, whatevs… the regionals are only two weeks away and we've still got so much work ahead of us…


	12. Whispered Truths

"Chloe? … Are you awake?" Stacie whispered across the little space that seperated their sleeping bags. She, as well as the other Bellas, were all finally comfortably settled on the floor of their practice hall. They had once again celebrated their victory at the ICCAs, only this time they had done so alone, just the Bellas. It had been more of a pyjama party than anything else but they've had pizza and chips and plenty other unhealthy food and coke and cheap wine… it had been a blast but Aubrey had finally insisted on everyone settling down since many had already yawned or downright fallen asleep anyways. Stacie, however, wasn't sleepy at all, she was thougthful and she had been for some time.

"Go to sleep, Stace. You heard what Aubrey said, she'll make us sleep outside if we disturb her," Chloe gave back though she was also mostly awake. There had been so many things going on for her lately and she hadn't had time to think about them with her finals happening. This was basically the first night of her life after college… and it all just raced through her brain like a roller coaster.

"Aubrey's snoring, Chlo. She's dead to the world," Stacie answered the redhead and scooted a little closer, dragging her sleeping bag over the floor. She listened intently in Aubrey's direction when she'd settled down again but all she could hear was some murmuring from Amy who was sleeping next to the tall blonde. "Amy even mumbles in her sleep."

"Maybe she's not asleep yet," Chloe gave back. She wasn't really in a talking mood, there were things she wanted to sort out in her mind. But she also didn't want to be rude. "Was there something you wanted to talk about, Stace?"

"Yeah, there is… is it true that you're bi?" The tall brunette asked hesitantly. She already knew the answer to that question but the fact had surprised her earlier when she'd heard Aubrey joke about it. She hadn't known before and by the looks on some of the Bellas' faces, neither had they.

Chloe smiled. Aubrey sure had picked a good moment to out her to the gang… but then she herself had thought that everyone had known.

"Yeah, that's quite true. I like guys and dolls, how about you?"

"Oh, you know me. I like dick," Stacie gave back nonchalantly but somehow Chloe didn't quite buy that. She had seen some of the interaction between Stacie and Aubrey these days and they seemed quite chummy, with Stacie stealing furtive glances at her best friend.

"No interest in experimenting a little?" Chloe teased. She tried to keep the tone light, she didn't want to pressure Stacie into admitting anything she might not even be aware was happening.

"I… I don't know. I mean, I've never thought about it… before…"

"Before?"

"Before… I joined the Bellas, maybe. Before I knew that CR was gay and you bi… My parents were pretty protective of me. I went to a boarding school in England, did you know that?"

"No, I didn't. Wow. Girls only?" Chloe was surprised but then, it did make some sense.

"Yeah, but there was a boy's school close by so… you know. We all had sex whenever the opportunity occured. It was a little like with people who eat a lot while there is food there because they don't know when they'll get their next meal… or something." She seemed to notice that the comparison was kind of off. Chloe could see her shake her head in the semi-darkness that surrounded them. "I don't know. I guess these kind of habits are hard to break."

"But you did know that something like lesbianism existed, right? I mean, you were in a boarding school," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I mean, I did but… it never really interested me. Maybe because there were always girls around. They were just there, so many of them, with their drama and their… dirty laundry, make-up smears in the bathroom… it was a mess most of the time and I really didn't want any of that in my pants," Stacie answered and Chloe chuckled softly.

"Girls can be messy… but… messy can be good, too. It's an emotional connection you don't always get with guys," Chloe said.

"I seem to only now get that, you know. That friendships between girls can be good, amazing actually."

"Yeah, the Bellas are great. These Bellas, us," Chloe agreed and her smile was radiant even in the dark room Stacie could see it, feel it, hear it in Chloe's voice. The redhead was proud of the Bellas, pretty much in love with them all.

"So…," Stacie said after a short while in which she'd thought about how to broach the subject that really interested her. "What is it like… being with a girl… another woman?"

Chloe rolled onto her side and leaned her head on her left hand, looking at Stacie who was still in her reclined position, staring at the ceiling.

"I wouldn't categorize my sex partners into men and women… I mean, it's not really the difference that matters. Each person is different, feels differently, does things differently, you know… it's sex, it's pleasurable. I like it with both genders… well, actually, I even had a lover once who was trans, so… I guess, you could say I like it with all genders," she smiled to herself.

"Wow. You're… really into people, aren't you?"

Another soft chuckle was her answer before Chloe said:

"Yeah, I am. I love diversity."

Stacie stayed quite for awhile, thinking about Chloe's words. The redhead let her think but didn't roll back onto her back. She was pretty sure this conversation wasn't over yet.

"Of the Bellas," Stacie whispered after some minutes, "who got your number? Like, who would you go for? If you haven't yet, that is." Chloe could hear Stacie grin but the question took her by surprise. She wasn't even aware that she looked up and over Cynthia Rose and Denise to where Beca lay - sleeping. Stacie was, though, and she turned, following Chloe's gaze. It wasn't a big surprise. "Beca?" she asked quietly after turning back to Chloe.

Chloe's head jerked back to the tall brunette.

"I… no, I mean… yeah, I guess," she finally said if haltingly.

"I thought so. You guys have… something going. I mean even with Beca kissing that Jesse-kid at the finals… that is never going to last…"

And that was definately a topic Chloe could have done without. She berated herself internally for not checking herself, for having looked at Beca at all. Of course, she knew who her latest (straight) crush was, but did she have to let Stacie know? Anyone for that matter? She felt idiotic.

"Hey, you okay?" Stacie asked in her thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. I was just thinking about something."

"Beca likes you, you know," Stacie said. "Maybe she hasn't quite figure out yet how much but… she does."

"And who do you like, Stacie?" Chloe asked a little aggressively because she really didn't want to talk about Beca right now - not when she was dating that goofy Treble.

"I… I didn't say that… I did like anyone," Stacie stammered and Chloe felt bad about the abrupt question, about her lack of tact. She shouldn't take her frustration over the 'Beca-thing' out on Stacie.

"I'm sorry, I just thought… maybe. I guess I'm a little sleepy now," she told Stacie and rolled onto her back to signal that they should sleep. Stacie seemed to respect it. However, a few minutes later she whispered into the dark:

"It's Aubrey. I think I like her."

"I thought it might be," Chloe whispered back.

"I still think Beca likes you… better than Jesse, I mean."

Chloe didn't answer. She didn't dare hope that this was actually true, hoping could hurt you more than just accepting the truth that some things weren't meant to be. The redhead listened to Stacie's breathing lengthening as she went to sleep. She herself was ready to do so when she heard a whisper from another Bella:

"I think she does, too." Chloe's heart jumped in her chest, recognizing the voice but not quite believing herself what it was so sure of.


	13. The Morning After

"All right, nerds. This week, we gonna sing about LOVE," Beca said as she entered the room, stepped to the board and wrote the letters: LOVE.

"What is this? Glee anonymous?" Amy murmured but straightened up in her chair when she saw Beca staring at her menacingly. "Yes, captain, I'll sing about love."

Beca nodded.

"We all will. Because I think it's important and there's not enough of it in the world as it is… and we're gonna take a lesson from those embarrassing gleeks and just do it."

"Oh, but I'm doing it. Often," Stacie said, interrupting to brush her already perfect nails for a moment to look up.

"We know, Stacie," Amy said.

"I'm talking about love, not sex. I do believe there's a difference, Stace," Beca lectured. "One is all fun and going down on someone and the other is having your heart wrenched out of your chest and stomped upon the next morning when she's not there any more and you don't even know what happened… I mean…. Well, that's actually exactly what I mean."

"Uh-oh," Cynthia Rose made and the others seemed to agree with that assessment. Beca looked at them sternly but then her face fell and she sighed as she sank onto a chair. Amy pulled her own chair just opposite Beca's and put her hands on her knees.

"Talk to me, little one. Who hurt… wait, did you say 'she'?" Amy looked flustered and turned toward Cynthia Rose.

"Move over Amy, that's my specialty," she said as she stood and moved over to Amy. The Tasmanian gave up her chair and CR sat down opposite Beca.

"What happened?" she asked. "Whose ass we're gonna kick for you?"

Beca shook her head.

"No ass-kicking," she said and sighed again.

"Pitch-slapping then?" Amy asked.

"No, no pitch-slapping either. It's… complicated."

"Talk to us, Becs. We're gonna sort you out and if an ass needs kicking or a… pitch needs slapping we're gonna do that, too," Cynthia Rose assured her small captain.

"It was so good. I mean… we really connected, physically and…"

"Ohhhh, details please," Stacie leaned forward in her chair.

Beca simply looked at her until the tall brunette leaned back again.

"No details then," she said, disappointed.

"And emotionally, was what I wanted to say. Then I wake up the next morning, this morning and she is gone… no note, no word… and she's not answering her phone either. I mean…," Beca ran her hand through her hair dejectedly. "Who does something like that?"

"A bitch," Lily answered and then added something that involved the words 'cutting' and 'shovel' and nobody really wanted to know what that was all about.

"She's not a bitch. She's…" Beca looked at the group, should she tell them who it was? "The sweetest…"

"Chloe," Jessica said and dark blue eyes jerked up.

"How did you…?" But Jessica wasn't looking at her, she was looking toward the door and when Beca turned her eyes there as well she saw the redhead coming closer, a shy smile on her face. She was also carrying two cups of coffee and was holding a bag of breakfast-goodies between two fingers.

"Hey, you guys," she said and Beca stood. She went over to Chloe. "Hey, I didn't know you had practice this morning. I was surprised when I came back and you were gone."

Her look of pure honesty melted Beca on the spot.

"You were… just getting coffee?" The brunette asked in a thin voice.

"Aca-awkward," Amy supplied and Beca looked back at her.

"Thank you, Amy," she said.

"What did you think where I was?" Chloe asked Beca and put the coffee and baked goods down on the piano.

"I thought you'd just left," Beca said.

"Oh."

"Maybe we should…," Jessica started saying, pointing at the door.

"Shhhhh," at least three of the other Bellas silenced her and the rest was looking at her menacingly.

"Or not," she whispered but Beca and Chloe had heard her and they looked back at their friends. Cynthia Rose sighed and stood up first.

"Come on, guys, let's give the lovebirds some space," she said.

"Yeah, let's. I should really have thought of bugging this place… hmmm…," Amy mumbled and more than one Bella silently agreed with her as they shuffled out of the room.

When they were alone, Chloe took Beca's hands in hers.

"You thought I had just gone?" the redhead asked quietly.

"I… wasn't sure. I mean, you were gone… and… I'm sorry," Beca stammered.

"No, I guess I should have left a note," Chloe said.

"It's not because of you, it's me… I don't know… what this is. It happened so fast," the younger woman tried to explain.

"You said you were okay last night."

"And I was, I am… with the physical part. I just… I'm not sure what we are besides that. You've graduated and left and… you only come to visit…."

Chloe nodded.

"I was actually thinking about that, too. I mean, I went out for coffee but I guess I kinda…. got lost in thought. That's why it took…," she looked at her watch. "Geez, almost two hours, no wonder you thought I'd left for good."

"You were thinking about us?"

"Yeah, o' course. I mean… last night was amazing, really wonderful. And I want that…," Chloe said and smiled.

"The physical part," Beca said.

"Yes," the redhead said with conviction and saw Beca's face fall. "But not just that," she added quickly. "I… We're so close, Beca. You're my best friend and…."

"Friends with benefits?" the brunette wondered aloud and still didn't seem very happy with the possible solution.

"Could you let me finish, Mitchell?" Chloe asked smilingly and Beca nodded. "I want you, all of you. Your friendship, your body, your…" She looked up and at the whiteboard. She pointed at it.

Beca turned and read the word she had written on it earlier: LOVE.

"You…," and she pointed at the board herself. "me?" Chloe nodded.

Beca smiled and leaned forward to whisper in Chloe's ear:

"I whiteboard you, too."


	14. The Date

"This is not working, Chloe. I look like a… poofy thing," Beca told her friend trying to flatten all the twilly skirts under the dress.

"That's how it's supposed to look," Chloe answered and smiled. She, personally, thought Beca looked cute.

"Can't I just wear jeans and a tank, maybe a shirt over it?"

"It's your first date after your break-up, Becs. That guy doesn't know you yet, you can reinvent yourself," Chloe said, adding some enthusiasm she really didn't feel. She's been doing that a lot since Beca came to her, telling her that she had met a guy… Jason - were people still calling their kids Jason?… and that he'd asked her out.

"Is there something wrong with who I am?" Beca asked, frowning at her friend.

"No, of course not. If we were… I mean, I would want you to be as much yourself as possible, in jeans and tanks, whatever. But you said, you wanted to try something new, right?"

"Yeah, but what if that's a mistake? I mean, he saw me in my usual clothes and he wanted to go out with me. He said I was cute… Am I cute?" Beca asked her friend, her eyes begging her for a favorable answer and yet something more, soemthing else. Chloe knew what she wanted to say to reassure Beca - but she also knew that that wouldn't be appropriate even for a best friend.

"In that dress, yes, you're very cute. If you're going for something else, I have some pretty racy dresses in there. I could hook you up with a sleek little black one if you'd like." She'd rather not, though. She thought that 'cute' was good enough for a first date.

"Really? I don't think I've ever seen you wearing a 'racy' dress. You've been holding out on me, Beale?" Beca smiled at her friend, there might have been a little flirt in that statement and that smile but maybe Chloe was just imagining that there was.

"I haven't exactly been holding out on you… I guess we've never been in an environment together where it would have been appropriate for me to wear… soemthing racy?" she finished the sentence but wasn't at all sure it had been a complete one. She may have had a drink before Beca even got there, and maybe she was at her second now.

"You sure about that?" Beca teased at Chloe's confused look. Chloe stuck her tongue out.

"I have you know that I'm perfectly lucid. Could I do this if I wasn't?" And Chloe executed a perfect pirouette.

"Wow, Stacie would be so proud of you. I know I am. But can you do this?" Beca had never been to ballet class and so her moves were less classic and more suggestive but they suited her mood and the background music that was playing from Chloe's stereo.

"Hah, come here," and Chloe pulled the smaller woman close, starting to dance with her. They simply kept going at this, dancing close, showing - or rather letting the other feel - their moves.

Beca was laughing, she felt better now that all thoughts of her impending date were forgotten for a moment. She felt relaxed and at ease with Chloe. This only changed slightly when Chloe pulled her to her, their bodies meeting and Chloe leaning over her, swaying with her. It still felt good but less relaxed, more exciting. And Beca pushed back at her friend, intensifying their contact, burying her face at Chloe's sweet-smelling neck.

Chloe slowed her movements, just beginning to become aware of what was happening with them. This wasn't where she had wanted it to go, or rather, she would have turned and run away if she'd known this was gonna happen because it shouldn't. Even though she wanted it. Even though…

"Beca," she said, her heart hamming in her ears, her blood pulsing through all the important places. "B? Come on, you'll be late for your date." Chloe pushed Beca away from her, not suddenly, or forcefully but just enough that she didn't feel the other woman's breath at her neck anymore.

"Urgh," Beca made, letting herself fall onto the redhead's bed, facedown. She had closed her eyes during their sexy dance but they were now open - or opened. She hid her blush, and she hid her comprehension, too. Because she really didn't want to go out with Jason, she'd much rather stay here with Chloe to see where this evening was headed.

"Beca, come on. Do you wanna wear the one you're wearing now, or… maybe something sexier? Less yellow, maybe?" But Chloe didn't get an answer so she sat down on her bed next to Beca, touching her arm.

"Hey," she said and Beca's face popped up from the pillows.

"I really don't wanna go," Beca said and leaned her head on her elbow.

"Oh, well. If you don't want to then…" She trailed off. "What do you wanna do instead?"

"I would like to stay here and have you put on… one of your sexy dresses?" Beca confessed and blushed a deep shade of pink as she did so.

"You… want me to…," but again Chloe didn't finish the sentence, she merely looked deeply into Beca's dark blue eyes, reading her answer there. Still, Beca nodded to the question.

"Why?" Chloe asked.

"Because I wanna dance with you some more," Beca answered. Chloe smiled.

"I'd like that," she agreed. She pushed up off the bed and walked into her closet, already shedding her top as she went. Beca smiled but flushed an even darker shade than before.

After a long moment, contemplating what was happening in the deep recesses of Chloe's walk-in closet, she sat up from her lying position. She still had something to do.

* * *

Jason was just getting into his car to pick up his date at her friend's apartment complex. Why she wouldn't be at her dorm, Beca hadn't said but Jason assumed it had something to do with a secret female pre-date ritual - or something. He was surprised to see Beca's name on the display when he pulled out his phone and as he hit his message button, he got even more so. He had thought they'd hit it off. She had been nice, super-cute, funny, too. You didn't find a girl like that on every corner. And she knew music - and he loved music, wanted to have a go at it professionally, too.

But her text read differently:

_Jason, please, don't be mad at me but my plans for the evening - and possibly for my whole life - have just changed. I can't go out with you anymore. I've found someone else, and she's the jealous type. Beca._


End file.
